Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Jan 5: Though seven months have lapsed since the formation of 16th Lok Sabha, the new Members of Parliament from Jammu and Kashmir have yet not started utilization of funds available under Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), which are meant for carrying out developmental works based on locally felt needs in their respective constituencies.
The general elections in the country came to an end on May 16, 2014 with the declaration of results by the Election Commission of India and on May 18, the 16th Lok Sabha was constituted following which first installment of Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme was released in favour of all the newly elected members of Lok Sabha.
At the time of releasing first installment to the tune of Rs 2.5 crore out of annual entitlement of Rs 5 crore, the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation circulated detailed guidelines on the scheme to the Members of Parliament for their knowledge as well as strict adherence.
Shockingly, the new Members of Parliament from Jammu and Kashmir have yet not started utilization of the MPLADS funds despite the fact that more than seven months have lapsed since the formation of 16th Lok Sabha. None of the six MPs—two from Jammu region, three from Kashmir valley and one from Ladakh region, have expended even single penny out of first installment of Rs 2.5 crore released in favour of each one of them.
According to the official data of the current financial year (2014-15) till January 1, 2015, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR, all the six MPs—Mehbooba Mufti from Anantnag Lok Sabha seat, Muzaffar Hussain Baig from Baramulla, Jugal Kishore from Jammu-Poonch, Thupstan Chhewang from Ladakh, Tariq Hameed Karra from Srinagar and Dr Jitendra Singh from Udhampur, have not recommended even single penny out of first installment of Rs 2.5 crore each for any developmental work in their respective constituencies.
In the data, entire first installment in case of all the six Members of Parliament has been indicated as “unspent balance” as on January 1, 2015.
Though he has not recommended any work under MPLAD Scheme yet Dr Jitendra Singh, who is also Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office, has got several important developmental works in respect of his Lok Sabha constituency (Kathua-Udhampur-Doda) sanctioned from the concerned Ministries and work on the same would begin shortly under the financial assistance of such Ministries. Some of these works include mobile services in several villages of Kishtwar district, Keedhiyan-Gardyal bridge in Kathua district and Kendriya Vidyalaya for Doda district.
From the data, it can be easily presumed that majority of MPs from Jammu and Kashmir have yet not started focusing on the developmental needs of their respective constituencies, which otherwise was their main slogan during electioneering for the Parliament elections.
No doubt, funds under MPLAD Scheme are non-lapsable but that doesn’t mean that the representatives of the people in Parliament remain complacent as major developmental works take years to get completed and only then people can derive benefit of the same.
Stating that sufficient time is consumed in adopting procedures laid down for start of the work under the scheme, official sources said that on the recommendation of the works to be undertaken under MPLADS, the concerned authorities of the State are required to identify the implementing agency capable of executing the eligible work qualitatively, timely and satisfactorily. These authorities are also required to ensure that the recommended works are undertaken in accordance with the financial, technical and administrative rules.
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